Registration welcomes our littlest learners

Posted
Wednesday, March 29, 2017 5:00 am

LISD Superintendent Dan Troxell

By DAN TROXELL, LISD Superintendent

While some of our students have begun counting the days until the end of the school year, our youngest learners and their parents are looking to the first day of school next fall. On Wednesday, April 12, and Thursday, April 13, from 7:30 a.m. – 6:30 p.m., our elementary campuses will host prekindergarten and kindergarten registration for the 2017-18 school year. Families are encouraged to register their new students as early as possible to help prepare them to easily transition, as well as to provide our schools with ample time and accurate headcounts to hire staff, create classrooms, etc.

We are sensitive to how these big changes can impact our youngest students. Our goal is to ensure all parents know when and how to register, what they can do to best prepare their children for school and to create an orderly, welcoming environment for our students from day one. We want our learners to start their educational careers on the best possible trajectory, which is best achieved by preparing early.

Parents may register their child at any participating elementary school in the district on the two days listed above, even if they are zoned to attend another LISD campus. On April 12, the following campuses will host pre-K and kindergarten registration: Laura Welch Bush, Cypress, Deer Creek, Faubion, Grandview Hills, Naumann, Reed, River Place, River Ridge, Rutledge, Steiner Ranch and Westside Elementary Schools.

Monta Jane Akin Elementary School is not yet ready for visitors, so we would encourage our inaugural class of Akin students to visit their next closest elementary school for registration. Or you can visit Parkside Elementary on April 13 if you would also like to meet your soon-to-be principal, Beckie

Webster.

To save time on registration day, we would encourage those who are able to complete their registration form online, print it and bring it, along with all other required documents, to your elementary school. The online enrollment form and list of supporting documents can be found by clicking the “New to LISD?” button in the middle of our homepage.

Children who will be five years old on or before Sept. 1, 2017; meet the immunization requirements; and live in LISD boundaries are eligible to attend our full-day kindergarten. To qualify for our free, half-day pre-K program, children must be four years old on or before Sept. 1; meet immunization requirements; live in LISD and meet at least one of the following conditions: unable to speak and comprehend English; currently homeless; have a parent or guardian who is serving or has been injured or killed in our armed forces; have been under the guardianship of the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services; or qualifies for the national free- or reduced-lunch program.

We are frequently asked by parents how to know if their child is “school-ready.” The beauty of our public school system is that we welcome all students, whether or not they know the alphabet, can cut and paste, write their names or have mastered control of their emotions. Our pre-K and kindergarten teachers are amazingly adept at taking students from across the spectrum and working with them to identify and correct any areas of need, to establish a strong foundation and love of learning.

However, we know that our students’ first teachers, before they ever set foot in our schools, are their parents. I will write again later in the spring to discuss programs and tools our district encourages parents of young children to use to ensure students enter our system with every advantage on their side.

From toddler to teenager, our business is one of creating bright futures for every LISD student who comes through our doors. Nowhere is that so evident than seeing our next class of learners, setting foot in our schools for the first time, filled with excitement and possibility. On behalf of our district, we look forward to welcoming you into our LISD family!